Fikac proud of Gobblers effort after capturing first win

By Jacob Stock

The Cuero Record

“It feels really, really good,” said Gobbler head coach Jerod Fikac when talking about last Friday night’s season-opening win against El Campo.

The win marked the first of many for the first-year leader of the Gobblers as he led the Green and White into battle for the first time.

“You want to start off the season 1-0. You come up against a team that is highly ranked and I am just proud of the kids. I am proud of my coaches in putting a game plan in that was obviously solid and then the kids executing that game plan. I couldn’t be more excited to get that first win. I am happy for these young men. We are going to continue to go back to work and continue to improve.”

Fikac was quite pleased with the effort on both ends of the ball, but the Gobbler defense was a solid starting talking point.

“We knew we couldn’t let him break big plays on us,” said Fikac on talented El Campo running back Rueben Owens. “Our kids helped keep him contained and executed the game plan. We ran to the ball, we didn’t have many times where he was one on one with a guy cause our guys were running to the ball. That’s what you have to do to contain a guy like that.”

The Gobblers week two focus now turns to the Geronimo Navarro Panthers. This Friday’s, Sept. 2, match-up is the first real game action at Gobbler Stadium this season. Cuero will be coming in on a current 11-game win streak at home.

“When we play at home we are going to try and protect our home turf,” said Fikac. “When you come into our place you are going to have to come in and play a really good game to get after us. Our kids are going to come back, they’re hungry, they’re fired up. They knew this win was big, but they know that it’s only one game out of the season and we are going to continue to get better.”

This will be the 13th all-time career contest against the Panthers of Navarro. In 12 prior games, the Gobblers are 8-4 with the first matchup coming back in the 2013-14 season. Navarro and Cuero have played every year since 2013 facing off in the playoffs several times. Last season, in week 3, Cuero suffered their first defeat at the hands of Navarro losing 29-27. The Gobblers would get revenge in the regional playoff round on a late touchdown pass that saw now graduated Jerry Rossett hit LeBron Johnson to secure the win 35-28.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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